TEB Ch 68
by STAR“Because that is not going to happen, so let’s just both sleep comfortably, okay?”
Despite Liev’s earnest request, it seemed like Renard was just pretending to listen. He declared that he wouldn’t touch him first, and Renard obediently left Liev alone to bathe. Contrary to Liev’s worry that Renard might suddenly come in while he was bathing, there were no bathroom guests.
Come to think of it, the butler had shown them the location of the shared bathroom and toilet when he showed them their rooms. Liev quickly grabbed some clothes to change into and headed to the bathroom.
“I have to finish bathing before Renard comes back.”
Liev’s constant alertness made Renard eventually annoyed Renard, but it was already too late. He had a record of doing all sorts of things, using the excuse that Liev’s smell provoked him. It wasn’t fair, but what could he do? What was really unfair was that, because of that guy, he was now feeling strange sensations in unfamiliar places. Liev cleared his throat and tried to get rid of those thoughts before stepping into the bath.
“The facilities are quite larger than I thought.”
The bathhouse, which was structured so that warm water flowed 24 hours a day, was either big or small, depending on how you looked at it. It wasn’t big enough for an adult man to swim in, but it was big enough for eight people to fit in and sit down comfortably. Liev had a strange feeling of joy at being in a modern bath for the first time since he was transported into the novel.
“I’ll just soak for a little bit. I won’t be here for long, so it should be fine.”
As soon as Liev stepped in, the warm water was pushed back in proportion to Liev’s body, and the water poured over the bathtub. As the warm water slowly enveloped his body, starting from his toes, he felt as if all the hardships he had endured today were melting away. “Ah, this feels good.” With his eyes drooping from the comfortable warmth, Liev couldn’t help but be tempted to doze off for a bit. But then he heard someone coming from the entrance.
“Huh?”
Well, since this is a shared facility, it’s possible for someone else to come in. In the moment when he was alone and suddenly startled by the sudden presence of a human being, he tried to get out of the bath, but the person who had opened the door quickly stopped.
“Oh, please make yourself at home. Don’t mind me.”
The unexpected intruder was Palvin. He was the quietest man among the members and boasted a strong, bear-like physique. Liev tried to explain that it wasn’t like that, but Palvin quickly stopped him, saying that he didn’t need to come out because of him. So, Liev had no choice but to sit down again awkwardly on the edge inside the bathtub, like a chair.
“……”
I want to leave, but now that he is sitting here in this quiet space with someone who speaks even less than him, he wants to run away, even though he knew this was a shared facility.
“……”
The straightforward man just stood by the entrance, looking at him silently. What on earth was he thinking? Should I say something? However, the ability to smoothly lead a conversation was far from Liev’s, especially. To him, conversation was a means to make the other person speechless with logic, not a means of exchange. It would only become awkward if he stayed here. Liev tried to escape again, but Palvin blocked him again.
“Please relax comfortably.”
How can this situation be relaxing? If it gets any longer, Renat will probably start complaining about why he was late. As Liev glanced around to try to escape, Palvin suddenly spoke up.
“Now that I think of it, you seem to be quite strong.”
“Oh.”
In fact, Liev was in better physical shape than he looked, and because of his glasses and long, awkward hair, he gave off a weak impression that made others expect that he would have bad physical strength. When he first came to the research institute with a recommendation for a job as an assistant, he was even scolded as to why they would hire such a tall but incompetent man that he looked too weak to be of any use.
However, not only the research lab but also the role of the assistant to the lodge keeper was a task that could not be handled with just any physical strength, so Liev was confident in his work and health. And that is still the case today.
Liev responded in his own way to Palvin’s surprised expression.
“Yes, well… I did work with monsters at the research lab.”
Monsters were generally much larger than regular warhorses. While regular warhorses weighed around 700kg to a maximum of 1 ton, many monsters weighed over 1 ton, so Liev had to develop his strength by force. It was necessary to safely subdue them to avoid injuring him while trimming their hooves or dealing with their strong bodies. Liev’s body was covered with compact muscles for battle, although it was not as bulky as a knight’s. So, it was no wonder that others were surprised by his strength.
“You’re amazing. You must be more talented than the junior knights in our order.”
“Not really.”
Liev felt embarrassed and turned his head. However, the man who usually just kept his mouth shut seemed to have decided that this was a good opportunity to have a sincere conversation with Liev, who seemed to have a sense of guilt or a sense of indebtedness.
“Do you have any serious thoughts about learning swordsmanship?”
Moreover, he even made a suggestion out of the blue. Liev immediately refused.
“No, I’m really not suited for that.”
In response to Liev’s refusal, Palvin recommended it again.
“Not only do you need physical strength but also great endurance, you have good talent. Really. Do you know how many people collapse while swinging their swords because they don’t have enough stamina?”
No, I don’t know—anything like that. He thought that if he did not clearly state the reason, he could be persuaded again. Thinking that way, Liev explained the reason bluntly.
“It’s not that kind of problem. It’s just that I’m a bit reluctant about attacking living creatures, whether they’re humans or magical animals. Of course, I understand it’s necessary. It’s just that it doesn’t seem to suit me.”
“Oh.”
Palvin let out a short exclamation, probably remembering Liev’s reputation. It was already widely known throughout the palace that if you go to the dragon’s mansion, the dragon’s knight will take care of injured animals. And he had also heard that the condition for accepting the position of dragon’s knight was to improve the care facilities for magical horses. For someone emitting a strong energy that says “I hate people” all over his body, he had a surprisingly pacifistic tendency that had already spread publicly throughout the palace.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think that far.”
“No, it’s probably because you were thinking of me.”
They probably all knew that he was worried about becoming a hindrance to the group through Sigrid. He didn’t want to take it as an argument, but he felt more uncomfortable being stuck like this. Liev was waiting for the moment to escape again. Instead, Palvin was asked an unexpected question.
“Then you’ve been taking care of magical animals at the research institute all this time?”
“Yes, before that, I worked as an assistant under the elderly hunter who helped me.”
“Oh, so you must be used to handling big creatures.”
“I guess…”
The conversation began to flow surprisingly smoothly, and after a while,
“What are you two doing right now?”
It has been an hour since Liev left the room, but he has not returned. So, Renard made his way to the bathroom. Renard couldn’t believe his eyes when he ended up going to the bathroom.
“Don’t misunderstand, it’s not what you think!”
“Yes, it’s a misunderstanding!”
Liev pressed Palvin back, who was lying flat on the floor with his knee and only a towel wrapped around his waist. Then he bent Plavin’s arms behind his back and held him down, pressing his elbows on the nape of Plavin’s neck. Renard was taken aback by this strange contact and tilted his head in confusion, which seemed strange to anyone.
“How long are you going to stay like that!? Get off quickly!”
There was a story about why these two people met Renard in such an absurd manner.
